The Misfortunate Tsundere and the Dense Ojou-sama
by 61wisampa
Summary: AU where Touma is a tsundere and Mikoto is the dense one.
1. Sisters Arc

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately not mine.**

**Prompt: **Imagine your OTP in a universe where everything is the same except for one thing: their personalities are switched.

* * *

**The Vending Machine**

Touma stared at the vending machine in despair when he finally realized that it ate his 2000 yen. Already, he could feel the tears brimming in his eyes.

_'Such misfortune!'_

But before he could wallow longer, a hand began pushing him from the side and then a voice, "Oi, if you're not gonna buy anything then move. I need to rehydrate too, you know."

He turned his head and blinked, seeing that it was a girl who was pushing him. He took a second to study her appearance. She had short hazel hair and hazel eyes, with good looks that didn't need make-up. She was wearing a uniform he didn't recognize, but she was looking at him in a way that made him realize that she probably knew 'Kamijou Touma' before he lost his memories.

At the same instant, he realized how familiar she had acted with him and that her hand was still holding onto his arm. He also began to take note of their proximity and felt her cheeks become warm.

"W-w-w-what are you d-d-doing?!" he stuttered out.

She lifted an eyebrow at him, "Weren't you listening? I wanted to use the vending machine."

"B-but y-y-y-you're—"

"Oi, are you alright? Your face is red," she pointed out, releasing his arm to reach out and touch her palm to his forehead. He stiffened, feeling more blood rush to his face, "Whoa, you're really warm. Are you getting dehydrated or something?"

"Of course not!" he jumped back, away from her touch. He took a defensive stance while she gave him a puzzled look. Was he acting weird? Doesn't the real Kamijou Touma act like this?

It was only after that thought that he realized he didn't know her name.

Hesitantly, he said, "Wait... who are you again?"

She stared at him for a long second before she gave him a look of disbelief. "Oi, oi. Seriously? If you don't even remember my name after all our meetings, I'm going to be really upset."

"U-uhm..."

"Ah, whatever," she let out a mixture of a groan and a sigh, turning back to the vending machine, "It's Misaka Mikoto. Really, remember it for once, you idiot."

"Misa...ka...?" he mumbled to himself, trying to test her name in his tongue. Silently, he noted that even though it was the first time he heard of her, her name easily rolled off his tongue. He wondered how close she was to 'Kamijou Touma'.

She had her chin cupped between her thumb and forefinger as she looked at the selection of beverages. He recalled she wanted to use the machine and immediately warned her, "That vending machine eats money, you know."

"I know," she replied, putting her hand inside her pocket and taking out a few coins, "It only eats bills though so coins would be fine." She told him as she slipped some 150 yen in. Then she paused and turned to him, "You want some? You look like you need some juice. Your face is still red."

When she pointed it out, he felt himself blush again. He immediately put a hand on his face to cover his cheeks, mumbling instead, "You should've told me that earlier..."

"Hm? What was that?"

"Nothing..."

She studied him once she got two cans from the evil-money-eating machine. He avoided her critical gaze, feeling somewhat exposed by it. But then she suddenly smiled, "It ate your money, didn't it?"

"..."

She began snickering, "That's how you knew this thing eats money, am I right?"

"It was an honest mistake!" he defended, his face burning, "How was I supposed to know that it'll eat my 2000 yen?!"

"..."

"..."

"BWAHAHAHA! You—you put—_pfffft_, you put 2000 yen into a vending machine?"

"Shut up! I didn't have any change!"

"You could have—haha—there's a store at the corner of the street."

"Fine! I made a mistake. Just stop laughing, will you?!" more giggles was her response, "Well, what about you? You must've lost your money to this vending machine too, right?"

Her laughter abruptly stopped, "Heh?"

"You know this thing only eats bills. You must have experienced it first hand, right? So? How much did it eat?"

She averted her gaze, unwilling to reply.

"Oi, you know how much money I lost. It's only fair that you tell me."

"...ten thousand yen."

"..."

"..."

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! TEN THOUSAND YEN?! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU PUT IN THAT MUCH!"

"Oi!"

"AND YOU—AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE SUCH A HYPOCRITE!"

"OI!"

His laughter halted when one of the juice cans she was holding burst out. He looked at her with a surprised expression when he saw sparks dancing around her body. Suddenly, he realized, "...an Electromaster..."

She didn't seem to hear him because she was frowning (pouting) unhappily at him. "Ugh... great. Now my hand feels sticky. I'm not buying you another juice, just so you know." She declared as she threw the broken can into the trashcan.

He watched as she opened her own can and asked, "Do you always go Biribiri when you're upset?"

"My esper power is easily affected by my emotional state so yes, the next time you laugh at me, I can't promise I won't accidentally shock you. Prepare your right hand next time."

His eyebrow rose, "You know about my Imagine Breaker?"

"So that's what it's called. Of course I know about it. How many times do you think we've battled? I even got better at hand to hand because you keep making me fight you."

"...I ask... a middle school girl to fight?" he whispered dreadfully, _'What kind of messed up person was I?'_

"Aaahh~" she let out a pleased sigh when she finished her drink, "Now that was refreshing! So what now? Are you planning on fighting me again? I'm a little tired though so I'll probably decline. Besides, I feel like wandering around right now. Wanna come with?"

He blushed lightly at her invitation. It almost sounded like a date. He shook his head, getting rid of the thought. _'No way. She just wants to hang out.' _"Sure, Biribiri."

She let out a sigh, "You know, that nickname is probably the reason why you don't remember my name."

**At the Hospital**

"Hey, you awake?"

When Touma opened his eyes the second time, he was completely unprepared to see Mikoto's face in such close proximity to his.

His eyes bulged open, and he probably would've jumped if he could. But when he made such sudden movements, he felt pain shooting through multiple parts of his body, leaving him hissing.

"Whoa there, you shouldn't get excited. You have a lot of injuries." She told him gently, helping him go back to a comfortable position on the bed. Once the pain had somewhat subsided, he sighed in relief, and she smiled, "You okay now?"

"Y-yeah, thanks..." he told her, blushing lightly.

She shook her head, "I should be the one telling you that." He met her eyes as her gaze softened. "I'm not even exaggerating when I say you saved my life...each of my Sisters' lives." She gently took his hand in both of hers, squeezing lightly, "Thank you, Touma. I wouldn't be here right now if not for you."

He felt blood rushing to his face at her actions, feeling strange yet oddly soothed with her holding his hand. "I-it's nothing. I d-d-did it because I wa-wanted to. You d-don't have to t-t-thank me..."

She smiled at this, "You would say that, huh?" she let go of his hand and he felt slightly disappointed. She then brought out a small paper bag and said, "I bought you cookies. I just took the most expensive looking ones so they shouldn't be that bad."

"C-cookies?"

"Yep. Think of it as a thank you gift."

"Y-y-y-you didn't need to d-do that! A-and you said they were expensive!"

"Well, I already bought them."

"I-I can't t-take those! It's too much!"

"They're just cookies. It's nothing big." She repeated before pointing out, "Hey, your face is red. Do you have a fever?"

He felt himself burn when she touched her _(soft) _hand against his forehead to check his temperature. She must have noticed that he became redder because she frowned, cupped his cheek and leaned her face closer to his.

_'N-no way... is she going to_—_!' _He couldn't even finish the thought because of her proximity. He shut his eyes as he felt his heart thunder, waiting. But then, he felt something touch again.

Braving to open his eyes, he realized her forehead was against his. Her eyes were closed as she said, "You don't seem to be running a fever, but we can't be too careful." She leaned back, and he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "I'll call for a nurse, just in case."

"N-no!" he grabbed her hand, stopping her from pushing the nurse call button, "I'm fine, really."

She gave him a serious look, "Are you sure?"

He nodded and did his best to smile, "Positive." She agreed reluctantly, and silently, he told his heart to stop hammering in his chest; it was hurting his broken ribs.

"Anyway, you should try these," she settled the paper bag containing the expensive cookies on his lap, "If they're no good, I'll just buy another one."

"Y-you don't have to spend so much money to thank me, you know," he told her while mentally patting his back for not stuttering as much as before. He was honestly touched that she even went out of her way to buy him anything. But if she was giving him cookies anyway, wouldn't it be better if they were homemade?

"Hm... so you'd prefer homemade cookies then?"

He blushed again when he realized he was talking out loud, "I-I-I-I didn't say—what?"

She just smiled in response, "Alright then. I promise I'll make you some. But take these cookies anyway. It's not like I have anyone else to give it to."

**The Cookie Scene**

"Such misfortune..." Touma mumbled as he made his way home. Trudging on his crutches, he tried to ignore the slight pains that the tenuous movement causes his body.

It was getting dark. The sky was already painted with a light orange hue and in a matter of an hour or two, it would be night. In his state, he'd barely make it in time.

"If only checking out was quicker," he mumbled, recalling how Heaven Canceler had insisted he stayed for at least another few days because of his injuries. Luckily, he was able to convince the doctor when he mentioned the bills, and signed his release papers. The nurses were quite skeptical though and had to be convinced before they finally let him out of the hospital.

Ugh. If only Index could feed herself...

"Oi! What are you doing here?"

He looked up to see Mikoto running towards him and holding a small paper bag in one hand. "Eh? Me?"

"Yes, you," she said as she stopped in front of him, "Shouldn't you be staying in the hospital for a few more days?" she asked, frowning at him.

He merely let out a sigh and replied vaguely, "Well, us commoners don't have the luxury to stay idle for long periods of time. It's serve or be eaten in our lives."

"Huh..." her expression showed that she was confused and curious at the same time but let the matter go without further questioning.

"What are you doing here, anyway? Your dorm is the other way, right?"

"I'm here to visit you, idiot. Isn't it obvious?"

He felt his cheeks warm up at her statement, "Y-y-you didn't h-have to, you know. I actually liked the peace and quiet."

"Yeah, I guess that's nice after everything that has happened to you lately, huh?" she agreed with an understanding smile, "I didn't want to disturb your rest, but I wanted to give you these."

She held out the little bag she had been holding. He took it carefully with his right hand and studied it for a moment, noting the teddy bear themed sticker that was holding it close. "What's this?"

"Homemade cookies," her words made him blush again, "I promised I'd make you some, didn't I?"

"W-what the—you didn't—! I-I mean," he stuttered, feeling unbelievably flustered at the turn of events, "I was joking back then! I-I-I didn't really want some!" He said that but he was still holding onto the bag of homemade cookies.

She tilted her head slightly and told him, "Really? Oh well, I already made them. Take them anyways. Plus, I tried my best to bake those so enjoy them, okay?"

He could feel himself blush harder but succeeded on replying calmly, "O-okay... then I'll happily eat them."

She gave him another one of those smiles that never fails to make his heart skip a beat and said, "Anyways, if you're going home, I'll accompany you. With your current state, you won't exactly be able to run if you somehow find yourself in another mess."

"I-I can take care of myself!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

lol the prompt was from tumblr and omg, i couldn't get rid of the Touma is a tsundere idea XDDDD so yes, i think this is how the Sisters Arc will change if Touma and Mikoto switched personalities. **DON'T THROW YOUR SHARP THINGS AT ME!**

ah, but what else to say? I officially declare Saten Ruiko as the Number 1 Kamikoto shipper in the To Aru verse. Seriously, she beats even Misaka Misuzu in my opinion XDD omg that scary smile she gave Mikoto XDDDDD at least now it's canon that she matchmakes the two. it's so glorious!

**To Aru Science Fun fact:**

**Touma shouldn't be able to stop Mikoto's railgun** regardless of what the manga and other official releases say. I discussed it with a friend here in FF and I would like anyone in the fandom about to write something connected to this to know. You can follow the manga though it would be scientifically incorrect XD

ALSO,** Railgun does not have recoil.** Don't listen to people who hasn't studied electromagnetics and assumed it without researching. Seriously.

Sorry, those inaccuracies are just getting to me. I could list all scientifically incorrect things that writers in this fandom and the LN itself has made but it would make my author's notes longer than the actual story

On an end note, please do your research first before you write stuff like these. I'm pretty sensitive with it and some other people too

Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope I'll see you again!

**~61wisampa**


	2. Fake Date Part 1

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**UA where Touma is a tsundere and Mikoto is the dense one.**

* * *

**Escaping the Companions**

He has homework to do. Why was he with these two idiots again?

Touma sighed as he, Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Aogami Pierce walked along, all the while talking about loli, imouto and porn.

It actually made him a little uncomfortable being with those two, but it seemed like although they were fully aware of the blush on his face, they wouldn't stop just to tease him.

_'Nggh... someone... anyone!'_

"Hey, Touma!"

His savior came in the form of a Middle School Level 5.

"Biribiri!" he called back, genuinely smiling in relief when he saw her waving at him. He jogged towards her, leaving his two shocked companions. "What a coincidence. You're walking around here too?"

She gave him an amused smile, "Idiot," she jerked her head to the side and pointed with her thumb, "This is my dorm. Did you forget?"

His cheeks reddened lightly, "Ah... I didn't notice..."

"Excuse me?" He and Mikoto turned to look at the guy he didn't realize was with her. "You two are friends, I presume?"

"A-ah..."

"Yup," Mikoto easily answered for him, "This is Kamijou Touma. Touma, this is Unabara Mitsuki. He is the Tokiwadai's director's son."

Unabara smiled politely at him and somehow, he couldn't help but feel a little intimidated, "It's nice to meet you, Kamijou-san." Unabara said.

Touma merely nodded and replied, "Ah... same here."

"Kamiyan~" Tsuchimikado suddenly slung his arm over Touma's neck with a huge grin, "Who's this pretty girl? Is she your girlfriend?"

He instantly blushed, "N-n-no! Of course not! How can she be my g-girlfriend? Sh-she's—"

"Ah! I'm so jealous!" Aogami also slung his arm around Touma on the opposite side, "Kamiyan has a very pretty girlfriend!"

"N-NO! I'm t-t-t-telling you, w-we're not—"

"Aw... you don't have to be shy! We support you, nyah!" Tsuchimikado added.

Alright, that's it. He really had to escape.

"M-M-Mikoto!" he stuttered out, barely even having enough nerve to actually call her by her name. Well, she calls him by his first name anyway so why should he bother, right? "We're g-gonna be l-late, right?" he said as he grabbed her hand and began to drag her away, "We s-s-should get going!"

"Ha?" she looked at him with a surprised expression but let herself get pulled away.

He sent her a short pleading look, and when she smiled and sighed, apparently resigned to helping him, he announced to his pervert friends, "I'll see you two at school! Aogami! Tsuchimikado!"

He didn't even remember that Mikoto was with a guy that had every possibility of being her boyfriend.

* * *

**The Fake Date**

"What was that about?" Mikoto asked when they were finally seated in one of the tables near the food stands.

He was slumped back on the seat beside her, as he began to process what he had done, "I..." when the realization finally hit him, he cradled his head in his hands and exclaimed, "I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST DID THAT!"

Unbeknownst to him, several people turned his way whilst Mikoto looked at him blankly.

"After that stunt, everyone at school would have the wrong idea! Gah! What am I gonna do?!"

"Wrong idea about what?" she asked.

"They'll think that... we're... you know..."

She cocked her head to the side in question, making her all the more adorable, something that, frankly speaking, Touma's current state couldn't handle.

His face exploded in a million shades of red.

"Whoa! Are you alright? You became red all of a sudden." She said, leaning closer to him whilst he attempted to regain his composure.

"I-I-I'm f-fine..." he turned away from her for a few moments, taking deep breaths to calm his heart before continuing with their original topic, "A-anyway, if we don't do anything, people would think that we're... uhm... t-together..." he stuttered out, all the while avoiding her eyes and scratching his cheek in sheer embarrassment.

Contrary to him, her reply was completely calm, "What's wrong with that? That happens to us all the time."

He nearly choked on his own spit at her words. "B-b-b-but rumors would start..."

"So? They'd just be rumors."

"I-I can't let anyone t-think that I'm d-d-dat—going out with you!" he stammered, already imagining what would happen to him when school resumes the next day.

She replied with a dry look, "Oi... I'm the Level 5 who'll be rumored to be dating a Level 0. Shouldn't I be saying that?"

He blushed again when he realized his mistake, "T-t-that's not what I meant!" he immediately defended, but then pointed out, "And don't use that word so calmly!"

"Hm? What word? You mean dating?"

"Gh!" having had enough, he simply slumped down on the table in front of him, burying his face in his arms. Maybe if he just stopped talking, no more misfortune would come his way. Speaking of which... "And I still have summer homework to do... such misfortune..."

He heard her sigh before she stood up. He opened an eye to peek at her as she said, "I'm not sure what's happening to you but it looks like you're troubled. How about I treat you to something so you can cheer up? After that, I'll help you with this homework of yours. Wait here, okay?"

"Uhm... ah..." before he could stop her, she had already jogged off towards a hotdog stand. He merely scratched the back of his head, wondering how a middle school student like her can help him, a high school student, with his homework.

* * *

**The Guy Talk**

"You're Misaka-san's friend, right?" Unabara Mitsuki, the guy Mikoto was with earlier, asked after he approached Touma when they saw each other.

"Y-yeah," Touma replied hesitantly, feeling some sort of weird vibe from the way the guy looked at him, "And you're Tokiwadai's director's son, right?"

"That's right," Unabara smiled pleasantly, "Homework?"

"Ah," he realized his homework was shown in plain sight in front of him, "Yeah. Mikoto said she'll help me with it, though I'm not quite sure how seeing as she's in middle school and I'm in high school."

"Tokiwadai's academic curriculum is actually much more advanced than any other school in Academy City. I'm pretty sure she'd be able to answer those with ease, given that she's also one of the top students in her school," the guy explained before pointing to a seat beside him, "May I take a seat?"

"Sure," he replied. Even though he felt a little wary with this guy, he could see no reason to stop him. Besides, now that he thought of it, because of him, Mikoto left this guy earlier. "Uhm... by the way, sorry for dragging Mikoto away earlier. I was in a bit of trouble, you see."

"It's fine. We just bumped into each other this morning, after all. But if you don't mind, there's something I'd like to ask."

"Alright. Shoot."

"Are you and Misaka-san dating?"

Touma's face erupted into a million shades of red. "W-w-w-what the—?! W-why would you t-t-think that?!"

Unabara gave him thoughtful look, "So you're not?"

He was silenced at this question. No. They weren't dating, but he didn't want to say that to this guy who seem to have feelings for Mikoto. He wasn't sure why, but he really didn't want to. "What's it to you? Are you bothered that she's spending time with another guy?" he asked in an almost challenging tone.

"Of course I am," he was a little surprised at Unabara's honesty, and silently, actually a little envious of it, "Anyone would be a little jealous if the person they like spends a lot of time with someone else. And Misaka-san has never really acknowledge my feelings for her, so I'm more than a little worried."

"Ah," Touma sighed, smiling a little helplessly, "Yeah, she's a block head, isn't she? I don't think she'd understand that you like her unless you say it to her face. Even then, it probably won't be enough."

"Yes, Misaka-san is pretty dense for someone so smart," Unabara responded with a small laugh, "I see you're in the same predicament as I am."

Touma blushed at his words, "Y-y-you're wrong! I-I am not—!"

"Ah, Unabara-san, you're here too?"

Mikoto just had to come back at that moment...

"Hello, Misaka-san," Unabara greeted brightly as Mikoto sat down. Touma on the other hand was trying to look away from her, "I just saw Kamijou-san doing his homework here and thought I'd say hi."

"I see. So have you answered some of the questions yet?" she turned to him and abruptly blinked when she saw his face, "Oi, you're red again. Are you getting a fever because of the stress?"

"I-i-it's nothing!" he replied, shying away from the hand that was about to check his temperature. How many times has this happened between them? "A-anyway! You said you were going to help me, right?"

"Then I shall take my leave, Misaka-san, Kamijou-san," Unabara stood up, giving both of them nods.

"Okay then, Unabara-san," Mikoto smiled at Unabara, and for some reason, it kinda ticked him off.

Unabara glanced at him one final time and gave him a smile that looked every bit challenging to him. He gripped the mechanical pencil in his hand. No way in hell will he lose to that guy.

Glaring lightly at Unabara as he walked away, he didn't notice that Mikoto's attention had shifted back to him. "What are you looking at?"

His response was to pout unhappily and say, "It's nothing."

* * *

**The Promise**

After helping Touma with homework, getting separated while buying lunch, and the real Unabara-san telling her that the person she'd been interacting with the past week was a fake, Mikoto found herself near the construction site where Touma and the Fake Unabara had fought.

She had only heard a small part of the conversation, but it was enough for her to hear his promise.

"Protect me and the world around me, huh?" Mikoto smiled, looking up at the sky as she held the bag of take out to her chest, "That's such an irresponsible promise, Touma."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Dedicated to my friend who won't stop pestering me to update so he could read something. And yes, I'm talking to you XD

The last one is a little open ended so I'm leaving it to you guys to interpret it. And someone asked if Touma is in love with Mikoto here... well, because of that question, I kinda made him like that XDD anyway, hope you like this :)

**NOTE: OTP means One True Pairing in general. Please don't confuse it with OthinusXTouma Pairing especially when others refer to it. Thank you :)**

**~61wisampa**


	3. Fake Date Part 2

**# echo disclaimer /proc/mydisclaimer  
# dmesg tail -1**

**I do not own To Aru, regular Mikoto or regular Touma. I own Tsundere Touma and Dense Mikoto though XDD**

**# exit**

* * *

**The Misfortunate Tsundere and the Dense Ojou-sama**

**The Mustard Scene that We Skipped**

"So," Touma began as he bit into the hotdog Mikoto had bought him. She was helping him with his homework as she had promised, and though he would never admit it, it hurt his pride that he was so stupid that he had to resort to asking someone younger than him to finish his homework. "How have you been? And your little Sisters? I haven't seen them around."

She paused mid-stroke, but then resumed like nothing had happened. A somber mood fell upon them, and he almost regretted asking. "They're fine, I guess. When they were created, a lot of drugs were used on them, so their hormone levels had to be constantly readjusted. And since there are so many of them, others were sent to Academy City's facilities all around the world to take care of them. Only about ten remained here."

He watched as she finished writing. Instead of moving onto doing his homework though, he continued, "That's good for them then. Now they can live the way they want to."

"It's not that simple," she interjected, frowning a little. "Sure, their death sentences may have been lifted, but they can't live normal lives. They can't go to school. They can't be seen by people who know me. Hell, they don't even have proper names. How is that a life that they chose?"

"They chose to live," he replied to her, hoping to appease the worry and slight anger that seemed to radiate from her. "I know it's not much, but what you did made them realize they had a life at all. Sure, it's far from what you'd call a normal life, and it will take a lot of work, but they'll get there eventually. I'm sure of it."

He was silently glad that her lip twitched up a little at his words. "You always seem to know what to say." She smiled at him. "And you were the one who stopped the experiment, so don't give me all the credit."

He felt himself blush a little, but he wasn't sure if it was due to her words or her smile. "W-well... I-I just couldn't ignore what I'd already seen. I d-didn't really do it f-for anyone..." he said, scratching his cheek with a finger as he tried to look away.

She let out a laugh. "Yeah, you'd say that, huh? Anyway, move closer to me. I can't teach you if you're so far away."

"H-ha?" He looked at her with wide eyes as she began to tug at the underside of his seat.

"C'mon," she insisted, but when he merely stared blankly at her, she sighed and moved her own chair closer to him. "How will you learn anything if you don't watch me when I tell you the answers to this? I don't mind helping you out, but there's no way I'm doing your homework."

His cheeks flushed a deeper red as the distance between them decreased until their shoulders practically overlapped. She was leaning over the table, still focused on his homework, while he did his best to stay as far away from her as he could. He couldn't even look over her shoulder, embarrassed by the thought that if she leaned back, she would settle against his chest like he was half-embracing her.

Being the dense girl that she was, she didn't seem to even notice it as she continued to drone on and on about quadratic somethings and roots that didn't have anything to do with plants.

He tried to listen, he really did, but his mind blanked out every time her elbow brushed against the cloth of his shirt, making it impossible to think. All he could really do was pretend to be paying attention and eat the hotdog that she had given him.

"Oi, you have mustard on your nose," she suddenly said.

He blinked at her blankly and muttered, "Hmm?" while he chewed, putting his hotdog on the table and reaching out for his drink.

She sighed again. "Really, are you a kid? First you ask for help finishing your homework, and now you're eating so messily?" She grabbed one of the napkins that was on the table, twisting around in her seat to face him. "Let me get that."

He instantly froze when she grabbed his chin. Before the tissue she was holding could touch his face, he jumped back, tilting back in his chair and crashing onto the ground with a slam.

He groaned as he tried to roll to the side and off the fallen chair. Mikoto, on the other hand, was instantly beside him, helping him get up. "Oi, Touma. Are you okay?"

She took him by the arm, pulling his sprawled form into a sitting position. He rubbed his shoulders, trying to soothe the pain away, but then he became more aware of her proximity and instantly froze.

His arm was against her chest.

"Guwaaah!" He retreated once again, though this time he had enough presence of mind to avoid getting hurt. In a second he was already standing, a full two meters from her.

She looked at him with a frown, crossing her arms, "What's wrong with you? You're so jumpy around me. Did I do something wrong?"

He paused, relaxing from the protective position he didn't realize he assumed. Her words registered in his mind and he suddenly felt guilty.

"S-sorry..." he said, looking down at the ground feeling ashamed. It wasn't really her fault. She was just doing what a normal friend would do. He was the one who kept having inappropriate thoughts about her actions. It was his heart that wouldn't stop hammering whenever she got close to him. "I'm just... a bit conscious, I guess. I-I mean, earlier we were... you and I and... being together and... I uhm..." he tried to explain, not really knowing any other way to prevent her from thinking that she was doing something wrong. "U-Unabara said things, okay? Things that made me a bit uncomfortable around you."

She studied him for a moment before sighing. Silently, he noted that she'd been doing that a lot around him. Was he being too irritating for her? "Alright, I won't ask if it really bothers you," she said, standing up and approaching him, "But next time, warn me so I know my boundaries. I wouldn't want to make you accidentally hurt yourself." When she was right in front of him, she looked at his face and he blushed again, but before he could jump to any more conclusions, she said, "May I?"

He blinked. "Huh?"

She raised her right hand, showing the napkin she was holding. "There's still mustard on your face. Want me to remove it?"

He was at the point of overheating. He was sure he was so red right now that he was doing an impressive imitation of a tomato. If she noticed, she didn't comment on it, and that alone helped him think a bit more rationally and conclude that, hey, this might be his only chance of getting Mikoto to touch his fa—NO. He didn't care if she touched his face with her incredibly soft hands—that he'd had the pleasure of holding earlier when they were runn—nonononoNO. It wasn't pleasurable at all! Her hand was rough and not gentle at all! He didn't enjoy holding them and he certainly didn't want her rough hands to touch his face! And to prove that he really didn't find her hands soft, he'd agree to her cleaning the mustard off his face and he wouldn't even feel anything at all!

"D-d-d-do what y-you w-want," he told her, trying to sound as uncaring as he could.

The corner of her lips twitched up a little, and his eyes were instantly transfixed. Her lips looked really soft and kissable too and he—NO! Don't. Think. Impure. Thoughts!

As if in slow motion, her hand cupped his cheek and the napkin she was holding closed in on his nose. She had her focus on the mustard that she was supposed to wipe off while he, on the other hand, had his full attention on her face.

It was the first time he actually had the chance to study her so intently. Her eyes were a beautiful hazel, framed by her long lashes that made her gaze look so deep, something he hadn't fully appreciated until then. She wasn't wearing any make-up, except for that thin coat of lip balm on her lips that he only just noticed, but he knew she didn't need any. There wasn't even a single blemish on her face and it made him wonder if it was as soft as it looked. The curve of her nose, the light bump of her cheekbones. It captivated him.

But it was all over too soon, and she pulled back from him, leaving his heart hammering painfully in his chest.

"There," she said with a satisfied smile, "now we can continue doing your homework."

He remained standing as he watched her sit down in her chair. Suddenly, he was all too aware of everything about her and it made him confused.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, wondering just what the hell was happening to him.

–

They had only been studying for about half an hour when he voiced something that had been bothering him.

"Do you like Unabara?" he suddenly asked as they were trying to answer one of the many physics question that he still couldn't understand.

"Of course I do," came her blunt reply, and silently he felt his chest tighten. "He's a really nice guy. Given, we hadn't really talked much before last week, but once we did, I found he's actually pleasant to hang around with."

He frowned. Somehow, he felt like she didn't mean it the way he had asked. "So if he asked you to be his girlfriend... would you say yes?"

Her head snapped towards him, and her face had a surprised expression on it. "What? Why would he ask me to be his girlfriend?"

He looked away, not really enjoying the conversation, "He likes you," he said, his voice sounding bitter for reasons he didn't know. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Not like that. We're just friends."

"Are you really that clueless, Mikoto?" He questioned, feeling an irrational anger creeping up his chest. "How many times did you two meet this past week? And from those meetings, how many times has he asked you to hang out?"

She looked even more puzzled. "That doesn't mean he likes me like that."

"Yes, it does!" He snapped at her, because if someone so obviously perfect for her as Unabara couldn't catch her eye, then what chance did a mere Level 0 have? "How can you not see it? He's so obviously in love with you. Do you really not know? Or is it that you really just don't like him so you pretend not to notice?"

She frowned at his accusation. "I'm not pretending," she told him, her voice strained. "And how would I even know if he never told me?"

He leaned back into his seat, rubbing his eyes with his fingers in frustration. "That's not the point..."

"Then what is the point?" she demanded.

He sighed in exasperation. He looked back at her, this time with a calm yet serious gaze. "What would you do," he began hesitantly, "if someone told you he was jealous of Unabara?"

It seemed like she still didn't get, but she answered, "There's no reason to be jealous. I care about each of my friends equally."

He couldn't do anything but let out a scornful smile. She really is that dense...

"Such misfortune..."

"Oi, what's with that line again?"

"It's nothing. Hey, why don't we grab some lunch now? The stores might get too crowded if we waited for lunch break."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

That's right, folks! **This is no longer a two-shot! :DDD**

Due to a friend's insistence, I continued this. There should be more coming up so i hope you'll look forward to that :D Not sure how far I'll go with this though

Also, this won't be a rewrite of the Light Novels so expect chapter like this. Just small scenes with Kamikoto interactions with their personalities reversed.

**Thanks a whole bunch to GreatSnapper and Cun for the beta read!** and the red mark covered first draft of this XD you were great help!

Anyways, this is Touma's version of being dramatic. Compared to Mikoto's, who's more adorable?

Hope I'll see you next time! :)

**~61wisampa**


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